(a lot of christian water analogies)

"Your grace abounds in deepest waters...."

I took living so close to the beach for granted for most of my life. It's a block away, I can hear the waves lapping on the shore from my bed each night. When I'm happy, I go to the beach. When the sun is rising, I go to the beach. When I'm sad and need to run away from the life, the beach is where I go. When it's January and my skin is as white as a sheet...you know where to find me.

I think one reason I love the beach is because it makes me feel very small, and as a result, it reminds me how big God is. He's vast, unsearchable and His love is deeper than we could ever comprehend. And while I think Christians have thoroughly worn out the water references, it's pretty true to some degree. His grace is like an ocean, His love washes over us. And when I'm standing on the shore facing the seemingly endless ocean, I'm met with the goodness of our God and the realization that 

I am so so small compared to His greatness. 

"When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace..."

When to get baptized is different for everyone. And even though I would only say I've known that the Lord was leading me to it for a year or so, the timing never quite worked out. I was either out of town or had a test the next day or was trying new churches and it just didn't work.

Switching churches, which I did a couple months ago, is always a little rough at first. Discouraged by the amount of awkwardness and icy conversation, I hadn't been in a couple weeks. But one Sunday a sweet friend texted me inviting me to come and that was the Sunday I heard about the baptism. 

It was also a week before.

But even still, I knew this was it.

Baptism is a beautiful thing no matter where it takes place, but having the opportunity to be baptized at the beach was such a blessing. I know my days near the beach are numbered and I have been doing my best to soak it up (both literally and figuratively) as much as possible 

( s e c o n d )   f a m i l y   i s   f o r e v e r

"And there I find You in the mystery.
In oceans deep,
My faith will stand."

I may not be able to run to the beach at midnight and cry when life is hard forever. But in doing so, I've learned that His Love is just like the ocean: endless, deep and oh so beautiful.